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Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus
Topic Started: Jan 7 2012, 08:49 PM (32,987 Views)
Taipan
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Cheetah's speed secrets are revealed

8 September 2012 Last updated at 00:49
By Matt Bardo
Reporter, BBC Nature

Posted Image
A sprinting cheetah is like "a rear-wheel-drive car," say scientists.

Japanese researchers mapped the muscles fibres of the big cat known to accelerate to record-breaking speeds.

By comparing the cheetah's muscles with those of a domestic cat and dog, the team identified the special propulsion power of its hindlimb muscles.

The study is the first to investigate muscle fibre distribution across the whole of the cheetah's body,

The findings are published in the journal Mammalian Biology and examine how the muscle fibres of domestic cats and dogs compare with those of the world's fastest land mammal.

"The study of muscles is indispensable to understand the cheetah's run," said Dr Naomi Wada, the study's co-author and Professor in System Physiology at Yamaguchi University in Japan.

Different types of muscle fibre are suited to different activities, explained Dr Wada.

In all the animals studied, so-called Type I fibres produced a small force output but were resistant to fatigue, making them best suited to maintaining posture and slow walking.

Type IIa fibre performance was best suited to fast walking and trotting whereas Type IIx or "fast" fibres created a high force output but had low endurance and were key to fast running or galloping.

By mapping the distribution of fibres across the muscles of a cheetah's body, scientists were able to gain insights into the animal's impressive sprint technique.

Posted Image
A sprinting cheetah spends more than half its time in the air

"The forelimb muscles in the cheetah included [the] most Type I muscle fibres of all three animals... while the muscle of hind limb muscles have many Type IIx fibres."

"The functional difference between forelimb and hindlimb is the most remarkable in the cheetah," said Dr Wada.

The team's results suggested that the power comes from the cheetah's hind legs, in the same way as a rear wheel-drive car, according to Dr Wada.

She drew a further automative parallel when describing how the cheetah handles at high speed.

The digits of the cheetah's hindlimbs contained no fast fibres, but the digits on the front legs contained many of them.

Dr Wada explained that this is because the cheetah controls its balance by using its forefeet to turn and slow down.

However, most rear-wheel drive cars cannot mimic the enviable acceleration of the cheetah: zero to 60mph in under three seconds.

Previous studies have indentified the cat's seven metre stride-length as key to this ability. With long, flexible limbs, a sprinting cheetah spends more than half its time airborne.

In order to maximise this effect, it arches and contracts its spine, and Dr Wada and colleagues found muscle fibres that supported this technique.

The cat had a high percentage of fast fibres running along its back and middle, suggesting that it could produce a quick, strong extension of the backbone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19488820
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:02 PM.
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Asiatic cheetahs forced to hunt livestock

By Matt Bardo
Reporter, BBC Nature
26 September 2012 Last updated at 04:07

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Scientists estimate that there are only 70 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild

Asiatic cheetahs, one of the world's most endangered animals, are forced to eat livestock in areas where their wild prey is in decline, a study has found.

An international team of scientists working in Iran investigated what the animals ate in places where game numbers had been reduced by poachers.

They found the cats had turned to hunting domestic animals because they could not survive on smaller prey.

Safeguarding the cats needs a clamp down on poaching, the scientists found.

The study is published in the Journal of Arid Environments and addresses a conflict that emerged among Iranian conservationists over the Asiatic cheetah, a subspecies of the cheetah that is "critically endangered" according to the IUCN's Red List.

It had been suggested that the Asiatic cheetah might survive by eating more rodents and hares in areas where medium-sized ungulates had declined.

But this study suggests that is not true.

The scientists completed the investigation over five years in two reserves in north-east Iran, near the Turkmenistan border.

The areas had a depleted population of wild ungulates such as gazelle, wild sheep and goats.

By sampling the cheetahs' scat they gained an insight into what the animals were eating in those areas.

Results suggest that while hares and rodents formed part of the cats' diet, they were not a significant source of nutrition.

The cheetahs mainly fed on medium-sized herbivores, resorting to livestock if necessary, according to the study.

"The hare or the rabbit... [are] a very important part of their diet. But that's such a hard thing to catch for so little that it's not sustainable," explained Dr Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, who collaborated on the Iranian study.

"We need to have the small and medium-sized antelope," she said.

The scientists' study reported that local herders seemed unaware of the Asiatic cheetah's "depredation of their stock", perhaps because the cats are so rare.

But in order to avoid future conflict with local communities, the scientists recommended that anti-poaching regulations be enforced and that other activities in the reserves are adapted to the needs of the Asiatic cheetah.

"After the revolution the game reserves, which were sacrosanct before, were opened up to the communities," said Dr Marker.

"[The cheetahs] are in game reserves and in the game reserves there's been a large influx of herders bringing their livestock, which have reduced the land space for where the prey can be and so the prey gets pushed out."

By enforcing no-grazing zones, the Asiatic cheetah would stand a better chance of accessing the wild ungulates it needs, according to the study.

The Asiatic cheetah in Iran has been compared to the panda in China, or the tiger in India, as a symbol for wildlife conservation.

Some experts thought the subspecies numbered around 200 individuals in the 1970s but Dr Marker said the current estimate is that there are only 70 Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild, all of them in Iran.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19705131
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:03 PM.
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Account from 'Swift and Enduring : Cheetahs and Wild Dogs of the Serengeti' by George and Lory Frame of a male Cheetah trio killing another male. They also later mauled and chased the killed ones' brother, but he escaped.

"All three were chasing another male Cheetah away from the southwest side of the Naabi Hill. They caught him. I hurriedly drove closer and saw the trio biting the legs, body and neck of the unfortunate male cheetah. They were tearing out mouthfuls of fur, and blood oozed from the tooth punctures. As the bit again and again, I heard horrible cracking sounds."
...
"Suddenly all three males again attacked the unfortunate cheetah, who let out some squeals. Tisa repeatedly bit the hindquarters and all four legs. Tatu grabbed the throat, in the same killing bite he used on prey. They chewed and tore at his flesh, and again I heard cracking sounds. Tisa jerked his head from side to side, tearing at the skin. As Tatu suffocated the male cheetah, I heard sickening gurgles as the limp victim struggled for his last few breaths. Then Tatu left go of the limp body. He had killed the intruder."
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Cheetah tracking study reveals incredible acceleration

By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
12 June 2013 Last updated at 17:06 GMT

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The fastest animal on land rarely uses its top speed to capture prey, according to a new analysis.

A study of cheetahs has shown that instead, the animal uses incredible acceleration and rapid changes in speed when hunting.

The animals get this acceleration by exerting nearly five times more power than that of famed sprinter Usain Bolt during his record-breaking 100m run.

The results are published in the journal Nature.

The findings amazed the scientist who led the research, Prof Alan Wilson of the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, UK.

"They are remarkable athletes - not just in terms of their speed, but also with their ability to accelerate and manoeuvre in capturing the prey," he told BBC News.

The top speed for a cheetah is often quoted is 65mph (105km/h). This was measured in 1965 by a scientist in Kenya timing the run of a semi-domesticated cheetah in Kenya running in a straight line on a firm dirt track.

But a well-fed zoo cheetah is not accustomed to running very fast - it does not need to - and so no one had seen zoo cheetah speeds greater than 40 mph (64km/h).

So for years, researchers wondered whether cheetahs might run much faster than 65 mph in the wild in order to capture prey.

Rapid acceleration

Prof Wilson and his team at the college's Structure and Motion Laboratory decided to find out by following five animals in the wild for a year using tracking collars fitted with movement detectors and GPS systems.

They found that the cheetahs did indeed run very fast at times - close to 60mph - but only occasionally. On most hunts they attained about 30 to 35 mph but they were accelerating and changing direction much more rapidly than has been seen in any other land animal.

They found that cheetahs could increase their speed by nearly 7mph (10km/h) in a single stride.

"They've arranged to have a low gear so they can accelerate very rapidly up to their top speed," said Prof Wilson.

Short bursts of speed can be quantified in power per kilogramme of the animal's weight. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt exerted 25 W/kg during his record-breaking run at the 2012 Olympics.

A horse used in a polo match exerts slightly more power per kg, around 30 W/kg, and a greyhound racing dog's is double that at 60 W/kg. But a cheetah can reach 120 W/kg.

The researchers also found that cheetahs also have a very strong grip, so much so that they rip up the ground as they run. They found it was the use of the animals' claws that enabled them to turn very sharply and to accelerate and decelerate very quickly.

The measurements have only been made possible because of the collars that have been developed by Prof Wilson specifically for the experiment.

"It is very hard for GPS to work on an animal that is ducking and diving, so the collar is an innovation in its own right," he said.

"We've been working on GPS for 12 years and the collars are the result of those labours. They are not your typical GPS tracking system that you get in the car or phone.

"The GPS is far more accurate we are getting positions and speeds five times a second. We combine those with readings from other instruments and we finish up with something that is very much more accurate both in terms of speed and position and very much more robust," Prof Wilson explained.

The team are currently using the collars to track lions and African wild dogs to obtain comparative measurements.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22861142




Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs

A. M. Wilson, J. C. Lowe, K. Roskilly, P. E. Hudson, K. A. Golabek & J. W. McNutt
Nature 498, 185–189 (13 June 2013) doi:10.1038/nature12295
Received 15 June 2012 Accepted 17 May 2013 Published online 12 June 2013

Abstract
Although the cheetah is recognised as the fastest land animal, little is known about other aspects of its notable athleticism, particularly when hunting in the wild. Here we describe and use a new tracking collar of our own design, containing a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial measurement units, to capture the locomotor dynamics and outcome of 367 predominantly hunting runs of five wild cheetahs in Botswana. A remarkable top speed of 25.9 m s−1 (58 m.p.h. or 93 km h−1) was recorded, but most cheetah hunts involved only moderate speeds. We recorded some of the highest measured values for lateral and forward acceleration, deceleration and body-mass-specific power for any terrestrial mammal. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed locomotor information on the hunting dynamics of a large cursorial predator in its natural habitat.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v498/n7453/full/nature12295.html
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he fastest land animal on Earth depends on more than speed to catch its prey. In order to successfully hunt, cheetahs need to be able to slam on the brakes and turn quickly, according to new research. One of the first efforts to capture the biomechanics of how animals hunt in the wild, the study pushes the limits of how researchers monitor animals.

"It's going to allow us for the first time to understand what any species is doing in its stride-by-stride activity," says David Carrier, a comparative biomechanist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City who was not involved in the work. "This is a big step forward in terms of understanding what animals do in the real world."

Captive cheetahs have been clocked at more than 100 kilometers per hour, as fast as many cars on the highway. But how do they perform on African savannas? To find out, biomechanist Alan Wilson of the Royal Veterinary College in London and his colleagues spent 10 years perfecting a radio collar equipped with GPS, as well as gyroscopes, magnetometers, and accelerometers for detecting when a cheetah speeds up, slows down, or turns. The collars incorporated solar batteries, as well as a nonrechargeable backup battery, and, for part of the experiment, were programmed to turn on only when a cheetah started to run during times of the day when it was known to hunt. These features all extended the life of the collar to at least a year, enabling the collection of an unprecedented amount of data about each animal.

When activated, the collar records the animal's position, velocity, and direction it's heading up to 300 times a second and relays that data via radio signals to the researchers. Three female and two male cheetahs wore these collars for 18 months, during which 367 hunting "runs" were recorded.


http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/06/cheetah-agility-more-important-t.html?rss=1
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Long-Held Myth About Cheetahs Busted
The world's fastest land mammal doesn't abandon hunts due to overheating, study says.


Posted Image
An African cheetah on the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Jane J. Lee
National Geographic
Published July 23, 2013

Like a finely tuned sports car, cheetahs are precision machines born to run. But for over 30 years, researchers believed the animals' blazing speed came at a cost—the danger of overheating on a hunt.

A 1973 study looking at captive cheetahs running on a treadmill found evidence that these sprinters abandoned hunts because they got too hot. That gave birth to the idea that the animals' hunting success rate was due to the fact that their motors ran a little too hot. About 40 to 50 percent of cheetah hunts end in a kill, which is on the lower end of success rates among African big cats.

"It became a popular story that got applied to free-ranging cheetah," said Robyn Hetem, a biologist at the University of Witwatersrand in Parktown, South Africa. "Most of our guides will tell you this when you come to Africa and see cheetah."

Not so fast, says a new study published July 23 in the journal Biology Letters.

Study leader Hetem and colleagues found that the body temperatures of four free-ranging cheetahs stayed relatively stable during the chase portions of successful and unsuccessful hunts.

Body temperatures rose after the cheetahs stopped running—but they rose about twice as much in individuals that had brought down prey, compared with ones that had abandoned a hunt.

Hetem and colleagues saw this rise after controlling for factors including the duration of a hunt, activity levels during a hunt, and air temperature.

"I've never been convinced by this idea that cheetahs overheat when they're chasing, so it's nice to see that confirmed," said Sarah Durant, an ecologist at the Zoological Society of London who also sits on the committee for National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative.

"What does surprise me is the temperature rise after they've killed," added Durant, who wasn't involved in the research.

Stressed Eaters

Hetem and colleagues were able to monitor body temperatures and activity patterns of these sleek carnivores by implanting sensors in six cheetahs living at the Tusk Trust Cheetah Rehabilitation Camp in Namibia. The scientists ended up using data from four because a leopard killed two of the six study animals.

The researchers hypothesized that the post-hunt temperature rise was due to a stress response in cheetahs on the lookout for other predators.

"In the Serengeti where I work, it's very common for hyenas to be attracted to the sound of a chase or the kill," explained Durant.

Cheetahs are very alert after a kill and when they're eating, she said. "They spend a lot of time sitting up, presumably looking for other predators."

Many times cheetahs rest or wait before tucking into a meal, and it was during these periods that Hetem and colleagues saw the body temperature increases. The rises would peak about 15 minutes after unsuccessful hunts and 40 minutes after successful ones.

Similar Siblings

Hetem discounts digestive processes as an explanation for the body temperature increases, since they occurred while the cats were eating as well as resting or waiting near their kill.

Previous studies have seen increases in the body temperatures of deer and impala when they are exhibiting fear. So a similar stress response in cheetahs could help explain why there's a greater increase in body temperature after successful hunts versus unsuccessful ones, Hetem said.

This is further supported by the fact that one of the study cheetahs got a thorn lodged in a paw one day and did not participate in a hunt at all—his sister made the kill. But the male did share in her spoils.

"He shows the same body temperature pattern that she does," said Hetem. "The rise in temperature happened when he got to the prey item."

Lunch Break

This stress-response explanation is an interesting hypothesis worth further investigation, Durant said.

She added that it's important to know how hunts affect cheetah body temperatures because of a curious effect of humans on cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

A previous study done in the Masai Mara found that cheetahs would wait until tour groups broke for lunch before engaging in hunting behavior, Durant said.

Since Hetem and colleagues also found that the time of day had an effect on cheetah body temperatures, tourist schedules could affect a cat's core body temperature, Durant speculated.

If cheetahs in the Masai Mara are being forced to hunt at hotter times of the day, that might expose them to higher risks of heat stress, she said.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130723-cheetah-running-overheating-hunting-animals-science/




Cheetah do not abandon hunts because they overheat
Robyn S. Hetem1⇑, Duncan Mitchell1, Brenda A. de Witt1, Linda G. Fick1, Leith C. R. Meyer1,†, Shane K. Maloney1,2 and Andrea Fuller1
Published 24 July 2013 doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0472
Biol. Lett. 23 October 2013 vol. 9 no. 5 20130472

Abstract
Hunting cheetah reportedly store metabolic heat during the chase and abandon chases because they overheat. Using biologging to remotely measure the body temperature (every minute) and locomotor activity (every 5 min) of four free-living cheetah, hunting spontaneously, we found that cheetah abandoned hunts, but not because they overheated. Body temperature averaged 38.4°C when the chase was terminated. Storage of metabolic heat did not compromise hunts. The increase in body temperature following a successful hunt was double that of an unsuccessful hunt (1.3°C ± 0.2°C versus 0.5°C ± 0.1°C), even though the level of activity during the hunts was similar. We propose that the increase in body temperature following a successful hunt is a stress hyperthermia, rather than an exercise-induced hyperthermia.

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/9/5/20130472
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:06 PM.
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New Insight Into How Cheetahs Catch Their Prey

Sep. 5, 2013 — A new research study has revealed that the cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, matches and may even anticipate the escape tactics of different prey when hunting, rather than just relying on its speed and agility as previously thought.
The study, which has just been published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters was carried out by a team of researchers from Queen's University Belfast, in collaboration with other Institutions in the UK (University of Aberdeen, University of Swansea, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, University of Oxford), and elsewhere (North Carolina State University, The Lewis Foundation, South African National Parks, Earth and OCEAN Technologies, Kiel, Germany).
The research team used GPS and accelerometer data loggers deployed on cheetahs, along with traditional observation methods. The study was funded by a Royal Society International Joint Project grant, a NERC New Investigator award and the Lewis Foundation.
Explaining the team's findings, lead researcher Dr Michael Scantlebury, from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, said: "The more we understand, about the physiology and the hunting tactics of this charismatic animal, the more we are able to ensure its continuing existence."
"Our study found that whilst cheetahs are capable of running at exceptionally high speeds, the common adage that they simply 'outrun' their prey does not explain how they are able to capture more agile animals. Previous research has highlighted their incredible speed and acceleration and their ability to turn after escaping prey. We have now shown that hunt tactics are prey-specific.
"In other words, we now know that rather than a simple maximum speed chase, cheetahs first accelerate towards their quarry before slowing down to mirror prey-specific escaping tactics. We suggest that cheetahs modulate their hunting speed to enable rapid turns, in a predator-prey arms race, where pace is pitted against agility. Basically, cheetahs have clear different chase strategies depending on prey species."
The research suggests that cheetah chases comprise two primary phases, the first an initial rapid acceleration resulting in high speed to quickly catch up with prey, followed by a second, which is a prey-specific slowing period, five to eight seconds before the end of the chase, that enables the cheetah to match turns instigated by prey as the distance between them closes.
Dr Scantlebury added: "We have discovered that cheetahs first accelerate rapidly to get them close to the prey but then have to actively slow down to be able to match prey escape manoeuvres. It is like a deadly tango between the hunter and the hunted, with one mirroring the escape tactics of the other."
"The time spent in the initial and second phase differs according to prey species, with some species such as ostriches, hares and steenbok attempting to escape by executing sudden changes in direction, whilst other species such as wildebeest, gemsbok and springbok attempt to run fast in a more or less straight line. It almost seems as if the amount of power or effort put into a chase is decided at the beginning of the chase depending on the prey species."
Dr Gus Mills, from the Lewis Foundation, South Africa and Oxford University's WildCRU said: "Modern technology has given us the opportunity to record and measure facets of animal behaviour we have never been able to do. However, too often this is used without the essential backup of simultaneously observing the animals in the wild to validate what is being measured. We have been fortunate to be able to do both."
Prof Rory Wilson from Swansea University added: "One critical feature about the sports machine that is the cheetah is that we are not just talking about a dragster that achieves incredible speeds in a straight line. This beast has to corner magnificently as well. It's a Formula One car, but with a small tank."
The researchers also found that that there are clear differences between successful and non-successful hunts. Non-successful hunts involve less turning at the end of the chase, probably as the cheetah realised it was not going to catch up with the prey, and seemed to involve less energy than successful hunts of the same species.
Dr Scantlebury concluded: "One thing is certain, and that is that our previous concept of cheetah hunts being simple high speed, straight line dashes to catch prey is clearly wrong. They engage in a complex duel of speed, acceleration, braking and rapid turns with ground rules that vary from prey to prey. These exciting findings are an important foundation for ensuring the preservation of these magnificent animals and for future studies in this area."

Posted Image
A Cheetah as photographed during the research project led by Dr Michael Scantlebury of Queen's University Belfast.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130905085644.htm




Journal Reference:
J. W. Wilson, M. G. L. Mills, R. P. Wilson, G. Peters, M. E. J. Mills, J. R. Speakman, S. M. Durant, N. C. Bennett, N. J. Marks, M. Scantlebury. Cheetahs, Acinonyx jubatus, balance turn capacity with pace when chasing prey. Biology Letters, 2013; 9 (5): 20130620 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0620

Abstract
Predator–prey interactions are fundamental in the evolution and structure of ecological communities. Our understanding, however, of the strategies used in pursuit and evasion remains limited. Here, we report on the hunting dynamics of the world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus. Using miniaturized data loggers, we recorded fine-scale movement, speed and acceleration of free-ranging cheetahs to measure how hunting dynamics relate to chasing different sized prey. Cheetahs attained hunting speeds of up to 18.94 m s−1 and accelerated up to 7.5 m s−2 with greatest angular velocities achieved during the terminal phase of the hunt. The interplay between forward and lateral acceleration during chases showed that the total forces involved in speed changes and turning were approximately constant over time but varied with prey type. Thus, rather than a simple maximum speed chase, cheetahs first accelerate to decrease the distance to their prey, before reducing speed 5–8 s from the end of the hunt, so as to facilitate rapid turns to match prey escape tactics, varying the precise strategy according to prey species. Predator and prey thus pit a fine balance of speed against manoeuvring capability in a race for survival.

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/9/5/20130620.short
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:07 PM.
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Can Big Cats Co-Exist? Study Challenges Lion Threat to Cheetah Cubs

Dec. 2, 2013 — New research into cheetah cub survival has refuted the theory that lions are a cub's main predator and that big cats cannot coexist in conservation areas. The study, published in the Journal of Zoology, found that cubs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park were seven times more likely to survive then on the Serengeti Plains and that lions were not found to be the cubs' main predatory threat.
Previously, research on the Serengeti Plains found that only 4.8% of 125 cheetah cubs (Acinonyx jubatus) monitored from the den to adolescence survived. The theory that cheetah cubs are at high risk from lions has impacted conservation strategies as it is believed protected areas may not be suitable for cheetahs if they cannot coexist with large predators.
In the latest study the authors visited a series of dens to study the litters of six adult female cheetahs. They found that in Kgalagadi 55% of litters and 53.6% of cubs survived to emergence. Lions were found to account for only 6.7% of mortality cases, in contrast with the Serengeti where 78.2% of cases were ascribed to lions.
The authors argue that rather than being the norm, the low survival of cheetah cubs reported on the Serengeti Plains may be exceptional. The plains are open landscapes, making cubs more vulnerable to predators.
There are also major differences in the cheetah's prey. In the Serengeti, gazelles are migratory, which may make it difficult for adult females to hunt. However in Kgalagadi, the steenbok population is sedentary and represents a constant source of food.
"Our study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, cheetah cub mortality may not always be inordinately high, and that lions are not necessarily their major predator," said Dr. Michael Gus Mills. "Cheetahs can coexist successfully in protected areas with other large carnivores."

Posted Image
The authors argue that rather than being the norm, the low survival of cheetah cubs reported on the Serengeti Plains may be exceptional. The plains are open landscapes, making cubs more vulnerable to predators.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202121308.htm

Journal Reference:
M. G. L. Mills, M. E. J. Mills. Cheetah cub survival revisited: a re-evaluation of the role of predation, especially by lions, and implications for conservation. Journal of Zoology, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12087

Abstract
Cheetah cub survival on the Serengeti Plains (SP) was found to be exceptionally low, because of high predation rates, thought to be especially by lions. These results have contributed to the perception that cheetah cubs are particularly vulnerable to predation, and that areas with large carnivores may not be suitable for cheetah conservation. Here we show that survival of cheetah cubs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was seven times higher than on the SP and, although predation was the most common form of mortality, lions were not found to be involved. Moreover, we suggest that scrutiny of the Serengeti data does not unequivocally prove the dominance of lions as predators of cheetah cubs there. We discuss these findings in the context of cheetah conservation, suggesting that further research on coexistence between cheetahs and other carnivores should receive attention and that the high mortality rates of cubs found on the SP may not be as widespread as is commonly believed. Furthermore, we recommend that maintaining the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning should receive more attention in carnivore conservation.


http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jzo.12087/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+7+December+from+10%3A00-15%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00-10%3A00+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:08 PM.
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Cheetah menu: Wildlife instead of cattle

Date: August 27, 2014
Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB)
Summary:
Cheetahs primarily prefer wildlife on their menu to cattle, scientists have confirmed. The cheetah is a vulnerable species that only exists on Namibia’s commercial farmland in large populations. Here, local farmers see cheetahs as a potential threat for their cattle.

Posted Image
Blood collection of a free-ranging cheetah on Namibian farmland for stable isotope analyses.

Scientists from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) can give the all-clear: in a recent study they showed that cheetahs primarily prefer wildlife on their menu. The cheetah is a vulnerable species that only exists on Namibia's commercial farmland in large populations. Here, local farmers see cheetahs as a potential threat for their cattle.
The conflict is an old one: wherever there are carnivorous wild animals, farmers are concerned about their livestock. In Namibia, the concern refers to the possible threat from cheetahs on cattle. When farmers in Namibia are missing a bovine calf, cheetahs are regularly under suspicion -- nowhere else in the world are there as many animals of this vulnerable species as on commercial farmland in Namibia. But the suspicion can rarely be confirmed without demur.
In their recent study, scientists of the IZW investigated whether cattle is on top of the cheetahs' menu. For this purpose they used an indirect method with which they were able to assess the diet over longer periods. "Traditionally, carnivore diet is determined by examining samples of fresh faeces. Faecal samples only provide a snapshot of the diet, based on the detected hair and bone samples of prey animals. One cannot therefore conclude which food items cheetahs devour in the long run," explains Christian Voigt from the IZW.
Instead the scientists used samples of cheetah hair to determine the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen. Herbivores have different food webs. One is based on shrubs, trees and herbs whose photosynthesis contains intermediate products with three carbon atoms (C3). In contrast, grasses exhibit a C4 photosynthesis. These food webs can be differentiated with the help of the involved carbon isotopes. Herbivores typically only belong to one food web and the isotope ratio hence deposits in their body tissue. Small antelopes such as springbok or steenbok specialise on shrubs and herbs whereas the oryx antelope feeds on grass -- just like the cattle. One step up in the food chain the isotope ratio of the prey transfers to its predator.
The study shows that herbivores of the C4 food chain, to which cattle belong, are nearly irrelevant to the cheetah's diet. Grazers are only occasionally considered as prey by males when they occur in groups of two or three animals.
In this project the IZW scientists collaborated closely with the farmers. "We live with the farmers on their farmland and share our scientific results with them. In this way, we attain a very high acceptance," emphasises Bettina Wachter. "The farmers passed on their experience in dealing with these big cats, as cheetahs cannot be simply lured with bait like many other carnivores," she adds. This is owed to the fact that cheetahs only eat prey they brought down themselves. Thus, aided by the farmers, the scientists installed box traps at marking trees, which were hidden by thorn bushes except for a narrow passage. The only way to reach their tree is passing the trap. Once a cheetah is captured it is sedated and thoroughly examined: body length and weight are determined, samples of blood and hair are taken and then the scientists release the cheetah equipped with a tracking collar.
"We conclude that the farmer's problems are smaller than they had assumed before this study," Voigt sums up. This study, published in the scientific online journal PLOS ONE, will contribute to the protection of cheetahs -- but not in adversity to the interest of the farmers. "We understand their position. The concepts of species conversation always need to be balanced against the livelihood of humans," says Wachter. The study is therefore an important mile stone to resolve the conflict between farmers and cheetahs.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827151707.htm




Journal Reference:
Christian C. Voigt, Susanne Thalwitzer, Jörg Melzheimer, Anne-Sophie Blanc, Mark Jago, Bettina Wachter. The Conflict between Cheetahs and Humans on Namibian Farmland Elucidated by Stable Isotope Diet Analysis. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (8): e101917 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101917

Abstract
Large areas of Namibia are covered by farmland, which is also used by game and predator species. Because it can cause conflicts with farmers when predators, such as cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), hunt livestock, we assessed whether livestock constitutes a significant part of the cheetah diet by analysing the stable isotope composition of blood and tissue samples of cheetahs and their potential prey species. According to isotopic similarities, we defined three isotopic categories of potential prey: members of a C4 food web with high δ15N values (gemsbok, cattle, springhare and guinea fowl) and those with low δ15N values (hartebeest, warthog), and members of a C3 food web, namely browsers (eland, kudu, springbok, steenbok and scrub hare). We quantified the trophic discrimination of heavy isotopes in cheetah muscle in 9 captive individuals and measured an enrichment for 15N (3.2‰) but not for 13C in relation to food. We captured 53 free-ranging cheetahs of which 23 were members of groups. Cheetahs of the same group were isotopically distinct from members of other groups, indicating that group members shared their prey. Solitary males (n = 21) and males in a bachelor groups (n = 11) fed mostly on hartebeest and warthogs, followed by browsers in case of solitary males, and by grazers with high δ15N values in case of bachelor groups. Female cheetahs (n = 9) predominantly fed on browsers and used also hartebeest and warthogs. Mixing models suggested that the isotopic prey category that included cattle was only important, if at all, for males living in bachelor groups. Stable isotope analysis of fur, muscle, red blood cells and blood plasma in 9 free-ranging cheetahs identified most individuals as isotopic specialists, focussing on isotopically distinct prey categories as their food.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0101917
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:09 PM.
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Cheetahs and mountain lions hunt with utmost efficiency, studies find.

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A cheetah family relaxes at the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL POLIZA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2, 2014

Like your pet kitty relaxing at home, cheetahs and mountain lions exert as little energy as possible and rest up for bursts of activity, two new studies reveal Thursday.

Perhaps more surprising, though, cheetahs spend only about as much energy in a day as a person does, the scientists found.

The studies are the first to calculate the actual, minute-by-minute costs of being a big, wild carnivore—information sorely needed by scientists working to save big cats, says ecologist Terrie Williams of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who led the mountain lion study.

As people alter wild habitats, they may throw this delicate balance off-kilter and make it harder for big cats to make a living, scientists caution.

The experiments tracked energy budgets for mountain lions in Santa Cruz, California, and cheetahs on two South African game reserves, measuring how many kilojoules of energy they use daily.

Cheetahs keep their energy use low, the researchers found, even after accounting for their explosive bursts of speed when taking down prey.

In fact, a cheetah's energy use is "remarkably similar" to that of a person who burns an average of 2,000 calories a day, or about 9,000 kilojoules.

"I guess both humans and cheetahs rest a lot to offset high-energy activities," said cheetah-study co-author Johnny Wilson, a biologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

In California pumas, specially designed radio collars—think Fitbits for big cats—show that the ambush predators exert a huge effort to take down prey, but then make up for that the rest of the time by hiding and waiting.

The studies, published Thursday in the journal Science, show that "these cats, in their own individual ways, figured out a way to make hunting cost-effective," Williams says.

"Biggest Bang for Your Energetic Buck"

Sporting more speed than brawn, cheetahs often lose their hard-won meals to more powerful rivals, like African lions. So researchers wanted to learn whether food thieves might be forcing cheetahs to spend energy chasing down more food.

Scientists captured and tranquilized 19 wild cheetahs from wildlife reserves in the Karongwe and Kalahari regions of South Africa. The team injected the animals with water containing harmless isotopes, or chemical varieties, of hydrogen and oxygen. When the cheetahs work hard, their bodies use the isotopes at different rates than when relaxing, so scientists get a measure of their energy use from the water in the cats' feces.

The scientists were surprised to find that cheetahs spend about 9,000 kilojoules a day, less than the 12,000 kilojoules predicted as an upper end, says Wilson.

In comparison, an African wild dog, which is smaller than a cheetah, burns about 15,000 kilojoules a day.

The big cats spent the most energy walking long distances to find food. Habitat development has led to fewer prey animals for cheetahs in South Africa.

"If they're going to spend more energy finding food than [they're] getting out of their food, that puts them in an energy deficit," Wilson explained.

When prey is not scarce, cheetahs are able to rest most of the day because they eat high-calorie meals—impalas, mostly.

Wilson and colleagues' finding fits perfectly into an ecological theory called optimal foraging, which says an animal will spend the least amount of energy needed to get the most energy-rich food, says Luke Dollar, a conservation scientist and head of National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative.

In other words, Dollar says, "you want the biggest bang for your energetic buck."

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A mountain lion juvenile gazes intently while walking through snow in Montana.

Pouncing Power

Unlike cheetahs, mountain lions use sheer strength to take down prey such as white-tailed deer.

Williams and colleagues used specially designed radio collars to track the American predators' movement and speed. To calibrate the collars, they put captive mountain lions on a treadmill and measured their oxygen consumption, then converted that to energy use.

"People just didn't believe you could get a mountain lion on a treadmill, and it took me three years to find a facility that was willing to try," Williams said in a statement.

The team trapped four wild mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains and found they spent about 10 to 20 percent of their total daily energy taking down prey, which can be up to four times bigger than themselves.

Williams and team have not yet calculated the average kilojoules expended by a mountain lion each day.

Mountain lions will tailor the intensity of their pounce to the size of their prey, the data revealed. A bigger, more energetic pounce will take down a big buck, while a smaller pounce is all that's needed to kill a fawn.

The data are especially valuable because mountain lion attacks are rarely witnessed, Williams says. To get an idea of what the attacks are like, though, Williams recommends the viral video of "Hero Cat," a domestic cat that body-blocked a dog attacking a boy in May.

"Anyone who's seen that video," she says, "will know how a mountain lion will take down a deer."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141002-big-cats-cheetahs-mountain-lions-animals-energy-science/




Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism

David M. Scantlebury, Michael G. L. Mills, Rory P. Wilson, John W. Wilson, Margaret E. J. Mills, Sarah M. Durant, Nigel C. Bennett, Peter Bradford, Nikki J. Marks, John R. Speakman
Science 3 October 2014:
Vol. 346 no. 6205 pp. 79-81
DOI: 10.1126/science.1256424

ABSTRACT
Population viability is driven by individual survival, which in turn depends on individuals balancing energy budgets. As carnivores may function close to maximum sustained power outputs, decreased food availability or increased activity may render some populations energetically vulnerable. Prey theft may compromise energetic budgets of mesopredators, such as cheetahs and wild dogs, which are susceptible to competition from larger carnivores. We show that daily energy expenditure (DEE) of cheetahs was similar to size-based predictions and positively related to distance traveled. Theft at 25% only requires cheetahs to hunt for an extra 1.1 hour per day, increasing DEE by just 12%. Therefore, not all mesopredators are energetically constrained by direct competition. Other factors that increase DEE, such as those that increase travel, may be more important for population viability.

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6205/79.abstract

Instantaneous energetics of puma kills reveal advantage of felid sneak attacks

Terrie M. Williams, Lisa Wolfe, Tracy Davis, Traci Kendall, Beau Richter, Yiwei Wang, Caleb Bryce, Gabriel Hugh Elkaim, Christopher C. Wilmers
Science 3 October 2014:
Vol. 346 no. 6205 pp. 81-85
DOI: 10.1126/science.1254885

ABSTRACT
Pumas (Puma concolor) live in diverse, often rugged, complex habitats. The energy they expend for hunting must account for this complexity but is difficult to measure for this and other large, cryptic carnivores. We developed and deployed a physiological SMART (species movement, acceleration, and radio tracking) collar that used accelerometry to continuously monitor energetics, movements, and behavior of free-ranging pumas. This felid species displayed marked individuality in predatory activities, ranging from low-cost sit-and-wait behaviors to constant movements with energetic costs averaging 2.3 times those predicted for running mammals. Pumas reduce these costs by remaining cryptic and precisely matching maximum pouncing force (overall dynamic body acceleration = 5.3 to 16.1g) to prey size. Such instantaneous energetics help to explain why most felids stalk and pounce, and their analysis represents a powerful approach for accurately forecasting resource demands required for survival by large, mobile predators.

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6205/81.abstract
Edited by Taipan, Feb 3 2018, 02:13 PM.
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.News Code: 104950 .Date: 12/7/2014 9:56:03 AM

Another Asiatic cheetah sighted in Yazd
YAZD, Dec. 07 (MNA) – Director of Iranian Cheetah Society has announced the sighting and registering of another new Asiatic Cheetah in Yazd Province.

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Morteza Eslami told Mehr News that a number of camera traps had been placed in each of the cheetah habitats in Iran for an overall observation of the target species.

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He noted that a series of photographs were released by the Department of Environment in Ardakan, Yazd Province last November, which showed three Asiatic cheetahs captured on camera traps.

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“At first, these three cheetahs were believed to be the same ones registered in the first phase of Cheetah Protection Program in 2012,” said Eslami, “but further investigation revealed that one of these three cheetahs has never been captured on any trap cameras before.”

“And that is how a new male cheetah, the world's second-rarest cat, has now been added to the list of other photographed ones in the Asiatic cheetah habitats,” he said.

So far, the number of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran has been estimated at 70.



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http://en.mehrnews.com/detail/News/104950
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.News Code: 105252 .Date: 12/28/2014 4:15:50 PM

Camera traps capture 4 new Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran
SHAHRUD, Dec. 28 (MNA) – Head of Touran Biosphere Reserve (TBR) in Shahrud has announced a recent sighting of four Asiatic cheetahs there.

Ali Akbar Ghorbanlou, while expressing satisfaction over the sighting and photographing of four Asiatic cheetahs in Touran Biosphere Reserve, added that the Department of Environment has given a lot of attention to this protected area, making necessary preparations for increasing preys, thus leading to a raise in the numbers of cheetahs.

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This year’s drop in rainfalls had caused a considerable reduction in cheetahs’ preys such as deer, rams, sheep and rabbits, but the problem was soon tackled with by the assistance of Semnan Environment Protection Administration in providing forage to increase the number of preys for the cheetahs to feed on.

While lamenting the recent death of two mature cheetahs that were struck and killed by motor vehicles on the main Tehran-Mashhad road in Khar-Touran region, he called on environmental activists to raise awareness and take proper steps to prevent any more of such tragic accidents in the future.


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The territory today known as Touran (Khar-Touran) is a Protected Area within the borders of Iran in the southern part of Shahrud, covering 1.4 million hectares. Home to some 50 various species, it is the second largest biosphere reserve in the world.

Iran is home to the last known population of Asiatic cheetah. Listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, the Asiatic cheetah is among the rarest cats in the world at subspecies level, after the Amur leopard. At the moment, the number of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran has been estimated at 70.



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http://en.mehrnews.com/detail/News/105252
Mehr News Agency
 
.News Code: 105416 .Date: 1/7/2015 2:02:11 PM

Female Asiatic Cheetah, cub sighted in Miandasht
JAJROM, Jan. 07 (MNA) – Director General of Environmental Protection Department in North Khorasan has announced a recent sighting of a female Asiatic cheetah and her cub at Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in Jajrom County.

Posted Image

Ali Asghar Motahari told Mehr News that rangers of Miandasht Wildlife Refuge had managed to sight a female Asiatic cheetah together with her six-month cub one kilometer from Doshakh Environmental Monitoring located at this reserve.

“One hour after this sighting by environmental officers, the same cheetah and her cub were sighted by a group of cattle ranchers near the Asiatic Cheetah Research Site,” he said.

Motahari also maintained that two days prior to this sighting, three other adult cheetahs were sighted by the locals some kilometers to the eastern border of Miandasht, and immediately reported to Jajrom Department of Environment.

“Miandasht Wildlife Refuge is home to the highest number of Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran based on the scope of the area,” said Motahari, noting that Miandasht Wildlife Refuge is considered one of the most important reserves for Asiatic Cheetahs in Iran.

Miandasht Wildlife Refuge is a reserve in northeastern Iran. It comprises 844 square kilometers of semi desert and shrub land and is home to the endangered Asiatic cheetah.

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Rarely Seen Saharan Cheetah Revealed in Incredible Photos

By John R. Platt | January 30, 2015 |

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It’s not easy to get a glimpse of the critically endangered Saharan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki), the rarest of the six cheetah subspecies. Only about 200 to 250 of these nocturnal cats are thought to survive in remote pockets of Algeria, Niger, Togo, Mali, Benin and Burkina Faso, making them the rarest—and at the same time the most widely distributed—large predator on the planet.

But now a team of scientists working in Algeria has managed to capture not just an image of a single Saharan cheetah, but more than two dozen. In the process, the team has gathered the first real scientific information about these big cats.

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“This is the first time we have been able to collect scientific data on the rare Saharan cheetah, as in the past we have had to rely on anecdotes and guesswork,” lead author Farid Belbachir from Laboratoire d’Ecologie et Environnement, Université de Béjaïa, Algeria, said in a prepared statement. “We hope that this important carnivore does not follow the path to extinction like other Algerian desert species such as the addax antelope and dama gazelle.”

The research team—which included scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Zoological Society of London and other institutions—spent several months in Algeria in 2008 and 2010. There, they set up hundreds of camera traps which together operated a total of 5,229 days. During that time the cameras recorded a grand total of 32 photos of seven different cheetahs, each of which could be identified by its size and unique markings. Saharan cheetahs have paler, shorter fur than their savannah cousins, as well as smaller heads and thinner bodies.

All but two of the photos were captured after sunset and in the twilight hours before sunrise, which supported previous assumptions that the cats operate nocturnally.

The photos also revealed clues about the animals’ territory. The same cheetahs were photographed by different cameras up to 44.9 kilometers away from each other, indicating that the cats use an incredibly broad stretch of habitat. Although some images captured more than one cheetah at a time, they mostly live far away from each other. The researchers estimate that they live at lower densities than any other African carnivore.

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The Saharan desert is not exactly rich with food or water for big cats, so they need wide ranges in order to hunt. This also explains their nocturnal behavior: it would be too hot to hunt and travel over such large distances during the day.

The researchers used the photographs to estimate that the cheetahs in Algeria have a home range of 1,583 square kilometers. Keeping them safe from humans would require even more space, between 9,000 and 19,000 square kilometers, depending on how much of a buffer zone could be created. The Sahara Conservation Fund posited several years ago that the cheetahs could be at risk if they started preying on livestock or other domesticated animals, which could result in the retaliatory use of poison to wipe them out. Night hunting with spotlights already threatens the other wildlife in the region and is responsible for the eradication of the two ungulate species, the addax antelope and dama gazelle, which Belbachir mentioned.

All of this has an end-point. The researchers wrote that using the Saharan cheetah as a “flagship species” could provide incentive to conserve their entire ecosystem.

Their research was published this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2015/01/30/saharan-cheetah-revealed/




Monitoring Rarity: The Critically Endangered Saharan Cheetah as a Flagship Species for a Threatened Ecosystem

Farid Belbachir, Nathalie Pettorelli, Tim Wacher, Amel Belbachir-Bazi, Sarah M. Durant
Published: January 28, 2015DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115136

Abstract
Deserts are particularly vulnerable to human impacts and have already suffered a substantial loss of biodiversity. In harsh and variable desert environments, large herbivores typically occur at low densities, and their large carnivore predators occur at even lower densities. The continued survival of large carnivores is key to healthy functioning desert ecosystems, and the ability to gather reliable information on these rare low density species, including presence, abundance and density, is critical to their monitoring and management. Here we test camera trap methodologies as a monitoring tool for an extremely rare wide-ranging large felid, the critically endangered Saharan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki). Two camera trapping surveys were carried out over 2–3 months across a 2,551km2 grid in the Ti-n-hağğen region in the Ahaggar Cultural Park, south central Algeria. A total of 32 records of Saharan cheetah were obtained. We show the behaviour and ecology of the Saharan cheetah is severely constrained by the harsh desert environment, leading them to be more nocturnal, be more wide-ranging, and occur at lower densities relative to cheetah in savannah environments. Density estimates ranged from 0.21–0.55/1,000km2, some of the lowest large carnivore densities ever recorded in Africa, and average home range size over 2–3 months was estimated at 1,583km2. We use our results to predict that, in order to detect presence of cheetah with p>0.95 a survey effort of at least 1,000 camera trap days is required. Our study identifies the Ahaggar Cultural Park as a key area for the conservation of the Saharan cheetah. The Saharan cheetah meets the requirements for a charismatic flagship species that can be used to “market” the Saharan landscape at a sufficiently large scale to help reverse the historical neglect of threatened Saharan ecosystems.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0115136
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Mar 30 2015, 10:20 AM
Northwest African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki)

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Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus)

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